The fifth session of the Harry Bridges School of Labor was on Reaching Out to Conservative Workers Through Class-Oriented Trade Unionism. The trade union movement has been on the decline in the U.S. for the last half century. Many conservative workers view unions as pawns of the Democratic Party, while many liberal union members—especially leaders—view Republican workers as anti-labor. This has led to a failure to reach out to many workers who otherwise support the labor movement. This is why as class-oriented trade unionists it is important to not fall prey to the divide and conquer strategy that divides the working class. This session will be focused on bringing conservative workers back into a vibrant class-oriented trade union movement.

The Harry Bridges School of Labor aims to educate the workers of America on the strength of unions and to foster a class-conscious workforce through Labor United Educational League. We aim to connect the struggles of the past with the struggles of today to empower the labor movement to transform from their present hopeless defensive fight into an aggressive attack upon Capital. We plan to empower workers with knowledge regardless of industry or type of work, bringing all workers to a class-oriented trade union movement.

To learn more, visit https://luel.us/ .

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:50 Beginning of Slides
6:20 Video - Chris Smalls on Unity and Building Solidarity
7:50 Q&A 1
16:15 Class-Oriented Trade Unionism vs Business Unionism
21:40 Audio - Judi Bari Speaks on Organizing Timber Workers
25:20 Q&A 2
35:30 Video - Striking Kentucky Coal Miners vs State Police
38:40 Audio - The War at the Port of Longview, Washington and the ILWU
42:00 Q&A 3
46:30 Conclusion